KVR Audio

olepro · Post by **olepro** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 3:11 am

I really like this one, and it loads DX7 sysx
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1980.html

MaliceX · Post by **MaliceX** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 3:48 am

Compyfox wrote:And VOPM, yupp, your best bet if you want an emulation of that particular soundchip.

+1. Course, OPM format parameters can be loaded, if not transcribed from other compatible parameter numberings. (Not an easy find obviously.) I think TFM Music Maker use a similar parameter format for the sounds. (I rip mine from .MDX music files.)

DrWashington · Post by **DrWashington** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:55 am

Compyfox wrote:
FM Heaven is unfortunately discontinued if I remember correctly, Phantom was bundled with a BEAT issue (got it myself this way), else it's still available via DiscoDSP. And VOPM, yupp, your best bet if you want an emulation of that particular soundchip.

Definitely need to update my research list again...

Actually, I'd love an emulation of the YM2612, but it's practically the same thing. Actually, what I'd love is a very extended emulation, using whatever VOPM is made up of to sound so clean. I mean, MIDI learn, lots of breakpoint envelopes & LFOs, etc.

FM7 is still pretty good, but it just ain't VOPM to my ears. Has the classic NI problem of a 'fluffy' digital high end that comes through as soon as the patch gets nasty. I want it to get tough and crunchy, not whispy or fluffy. :-\

I know Alchemy isn't FM per se, but has anyone spent much time with it? I have a Kawai K5000S I need to replace--LCD is burnt, plastic above mod wheels cracked, etc. (Still the best keyboard action I can recall, though... wish they'd make a Remote SL61 with this kind of action.)

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:04 am

how sad that this thread is now at a point where FM synths are having their audio quality debated like analog synths. If you let things slip in that direction, soon you will hear bs like 'nothing beats a good old analog FM synth' & everyone will agree on that.

koolkeys · Post by **koolkeys** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:18 am

tony tony chopper wrote:how sad that this thread is now at a point where FM synths are having their audio quality debated like analog synths. If you let things slip in that direction, soon you will hear bs like 'nothing beats a good old analog FM synth' & everyone will agree on that.

KVR just doesn't cease to amaze, does it?

Brent

MaliceX · Post by **MaliceX** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:31 am

DrWashington wrote:
Compyfox wrote:
FM Heaven is unfortunately discontinued if I remember correctly, Phantom was bundled with a BEAT issue (got it myself this way), else it's still available via DiscoDSP. And VOPM, yupp, your best bet if you want an emulation of that particular soundchip.

Definitely need to update my research list again...
Actually, I'd love an emulation of the YM2612, but it's practically the same thing. Actually, what I'd love is a very extended emulation, using whatever VOPM is made up of to sound so clean. I mean, MIDI learn, lots of breakpoint envelopes & LFOs, etc.

FM7 is still pretty good, but it just ain't VOPM to my ears. Has the classic NI problem of a 'fluffy' digital high end that comes through as soon as the patch gets nasty. I want it to get tough and crunchy, not whispy or fluffy. :-\

I know Alchemy isn't FM per se, but has anyone spent much time with it? I have a Kawai K5000S I need to replace--LCD is burnt, plastic above mod wheels cracked, etc. (Still the best keyboard action I can recall, though... wish they'd make a Remote SL61 with this kind of action.)

I think the parameter spec is compatible. There's some dudes in a forum I go to, that make tunes using a file format that emulates the chip, using TFM Music Maker and some coding skills. (ie: 2x YM2203/OPN is compatible to YM2612/OPN2 so to speak.) But because .OPM (YM2413) parameters can be imported to TFM, I believe there's not much in need to worry about an emulation that already works out just the same. (At least, some japanese maniacs recreated tunes using this chip and sounds practically identical; PCM differences aside.)

What would be nice is an instrument-editable XP driver version of the OPL3 FM MIDI synth found on Windows 95/98. That thing never reached its full potential, if not remained an unpopular sound due to the lack of 'quality' examples.

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:58 am

DrWashington wrote: FM7 is still pretty good, but it just ain't VOPM to my ears. Has the classic NI problem of a 'fluffy' digital high end that comes through as soon as the patch gets nasty. I want it to get tough and crunchy, not whispy or fluffy. :-\

I have FM8... tough and crunchy it aint... push it and it gets fizzy and distant... no real pressure and presence there.

What is cool about FM8 is the morph pad with the random cloud! That feature is so damn good! If FM8 could get crunchy, the morph pad would make it my favorite synth.

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:02 am

Note that when Creative got rid of the actual OPL3 chip from their soundcards, they provided software emulation. I don't know if it's still there, maybe it is.

I remember it wasn't perfect, but I also remember that the Dune soundtrack I mentionned sounded different on 2 different versions of the OPL2. Not slightly different, there were obvious 'buggy' differences probably due to changes on the chip. By this I mean: even the OPL2 had different versions (like the SID btw).

living sounds · Post by **living sounds** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:10 am

tony tony chopper wrote:how sad that this thread is now at a point where FM synths are having their audio quality debated like analog synths. If you let things slip in that direction, soon you will hear bs like 'nothing beats a good old analog FM synth' & everyone will agree on that.

Currently that's where we are. Nothing beats the old digital FM synth (the DX7) for sound quality. VOPM has that sound quality as well, but it's lacking the complexity of the 6-operator synthesis. To my ears there's something severely wrong in terms of sound with a great number of plugins, and someone has to get to the root of it. VOPM shows that it should be possible to get the same (if not better, since you can go up in sampling rate and avoid the converters) quality ITB.

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:12 am

Currently that's where we are. Nothing beats the old digital FM synth (the DX7) for sound quality.

IMHO the reason is that you haven't managed (or bothered) to achieve the same sound using those other synths (that are programmed differently).

living sounds · Post by **living sounds** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:37 am

You can't really work against the overall tone of a synth. If it doesn't sound tight by itself, no amount of programming will make it sound that way.

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:39 am

that's just bs

tony tony chopper · Post by **tony tony chopper** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:45 am

And I mean, I rarely comment on 'analog fights' because I know nothing about electricity, so I only know one side of the subject.

But here,
-it's a goddamn CHIP, it's a program behind
-it's code of the 80's, meaning simple
-it's an algo that's pretty simple & well known

And I'm reading things like 'more bass', etc.. seriously. & I now have even more doubts about analog fights.

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:47 am

living sounds wrote:You can't really work against the overall tone of a synth.

I wish to hell someone would invent equalisation, then.

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:49 am

tony tony chopper wrote:But here,
-it's a goddamn CHIP, it's a program behind
-it's code of the 80's, meaning simple
-it's an algo that's pretty simple & well known

But digital hardware, like all hardware, has magic pixie dust. And Yamaha FM digital hardware has smart aliasing.

You goddamn amateur.

The Fight for FM